Politicalizing Art in Mao and Post-Mao Era by Luming Zhang Department of Asian and Middle East Studies Duke University Date:______________________ Approved: ___________________________ Carlos Rojas, Advisor ___________________________ Leo Ching ___________________________ Nayoung Aimee Kwon Thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in the Department of Asian and Middle East Studies in the Graduate School of Duke University 2020 i v ABSTRACT Politicalizing Art in Mao and Post-Mao Era by Luming Zhang Department of Asian and Middle East Studies Duke University Date:______________________ Approved: ___________________________ Carlos Rojas, Advisor ___________________________ Leo Ching ___________________________ Nayoung Aimee Kwon An abstract of a thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in the Department of Asian and Middle East Studies in the Graduate School of Duke University 2020 i v Copyright by Luming Zhang 2020 Abstract As Carlos Ginsburg pointed out, “What is much harder to reject in principle (but also as much harder and more laborious to achieve) is an analytical reconstruction of the intricate web of minute relations that underlies the production of any work of art, however simple”1, my project will zoom in the process of visualization of the socialist China and post-socialist China from a cultural-microhistorical perspective—propaganda poster, stamp and philately, political pop art — to figure out the continuity and discontinuity of this process, and the relations of art and politics. In a micro level, the trajectory of this thesis will follow the discussion of the visualization history of socialist China and post-socialist China, and the relation between art and politics in Mao and post-Mao era. Rather than simply using the visual analysis as main research method, based on the primary archives and secondary resources, I will choose artwork, art collector, and artist as the three typical cases with different research methodologies, including iconography, gender studies, etc. From discussing the propaganda posters’ positive and negative influences to political movements in 1950s and 1960s (Section 2), further to the complicated roles of stamp collector and how it embedded with official and individual discourses in 1960s and 1970s (Section 3), finally to the mislabeled political pop art of Wang Guangyi’s work in 1980s and 1990s (Section 4), this thesis aims 1 Ginzburg Carlo. The Enigma of Piero: Piero Della Francesca. New with appendices. ed. London: Verso, 2000. iv to offer a possible way to understand the politicalizing art process in modern Chinese history. v Contents Abstract ......................................................................................................................................... iv List of Tables ............................................................................................................................... viii List of Figures ............................................................................................................................... ix 1. Introduction ................................................................................................................................ 1 1.1 Propaganda Poster ............................................................................................................ 4 1.2 Stamp and Philately .......................................................................................................... 8 1.3 Political Pop Art .............................................................................................................. 11 2. The Visible and Invisible Female: State Feminism in Chinese Propaganda Poster ....... 15 2.1 Introduction ..................................................................................................................... 15 2.2 Research on the Propaganda Posters ........................................................................... 19 2.3 The Role of Propaganda Poster in Promoting Women’s Liberation ....................... 22 2.3.1 Concept ........................................................................................................................ 25 2.3.2 Ideology ....................................................................................................................... 28 2.3.3 Political Identity ......................................................................................................... 29 2.4 State Feminism — The Obstruction by State Feminism of the Women’s Liberation Movement (from Section 2.3) .............................................................................................. 31 2.4.1 State Centralism ......................................................................................................... 35 2.4.2 Patriarchal/male Centralism ..................................................................................... 40 3. From Hobby (Aihao) to Activity (Huodong): Collecting Stamps in Socialist China? ... 48 3.1 Introduction ..................................................................................................................... 48 3.2 From Hobby (Aihao) to Activity (Huodong): The Founding of Jiyou Journal ...... 49 vi 3.3 The Criteria for Collecting Postage Stamps: The First Discussion in Jiyou Magazine ................................................................................................................................ 56 3.4 The Class Struggle in Collecting Stamps: The Following Discussion in Jiyou Magazine ................................................................................................................................ 66 3.5 Conclusion ........................................................................................................................ 73 4. Revisiting “Political Pop” artist—Wang Guangyi: Examining modernism & postmodernism in 1990s China ................................................................................................. 75 4.1 Introduction ..................................................................................................................... 75 4.2 Ironic Success of Mao Zedong: AO .............................................................................. 77 4.3 Misreading of the Great Criticism series ..................................................................... 84 4.4 “Political Art” or not: Modernism & Postmodernism .............................................. 93 4.5 Conclusion ...................................................................................................................... 102 5. Conclusion .............................................................................................................................. 105 References ................................................................................................................................... 119 vii List of Tables Table 1: “March Eight” Editorials of People’s Daily over the Years from 1950s to 1980s. 32 viii List of Figures Figure 1: (a) Female skydiver 女跳伞兵, Shanghai Picture Press 上海图片出版社, 1957; (b) Women Models in New China 新中国的妇女模范, Hua Mei Press 华美出版社, 1953 ............ 27 Figure 2: Defend Peace 保卫和平, Shanghai Picture Press 上海图片出版社, 1955. ............... 29 Figure 3: Signature for Peace 和平签名, Li Dou 李斗, dateless. ............................................... 30 Figure 4: The Red Sun Shining Warmly over Thousands of Generations 红太阳光辉暖万代, Kang Zuotian 亢佐田, dateless. .................................................................................................. 37 Figure 5: Invincible Mao Zedong Thought Illuminates the Stage of Revolutionary Art 战无不胜 的毛泽东思想照亮了革命艺术舞台, Wang Zhaoda 王肇达, 1968. ......................................... 38 Figure 6: Learn How to Ride a Bicycle 学骑自行车, Jiang Feng 江风, 1957. ............................ 40 Figure 7: Freedom of Marridge 婚姻自由, Ren Qianqiao 任迁乔, 1950. ................................... 41 Figure 8: Conduct the Spring Festival’s Activity of “Support the Army and Give Preferential Treatment to the Families of the Army-man and Martyrs” 开展春节“拥军优属”运动.......... 42 Figure 9: Support the Honored Families of the Soldiers 慰问光荣军属. ...................................... 42 Figure 10: (a) The cover page of Jiyou magazine in January 1955; (b) Zhonghua Renmin Gongheguo Kaiguo Yihzounian Jinian 中华人民共和国开国一周年纪念, designed by Sun Chuanzhe 孙传哲, rubber and sculpture version 胶版及雕刻版. 1950, 1. ............................ 54 Figure 11: (a) The cover page of Jiyou magazine in February 1957; (b) Putong Youpiao— Yiwu Renyuan 普通邮票—医务人员, designed by Sun Chuanzhe 孙传哲, rubber version 胶版, 1956, 12. ............................................................................................................................... 63 Figure 12: (a) The cover page of Jiyou magazine in April 1957; (b) Quanguo Diyijie Gongren Tiyu Yundong Dahui 全国第一届工人体育运动大会, designed by Shao Bolin 邵柏 林, Liu Shuoren 刘硕仁 and Sun Chuanzhe 孙传哲, rubber version 胶版, 1957, 3. ............ 64 Figure 13: (a) The cover page of Jiyou magazine in May 1957; (b) Hangkong Youpiao— Gonglu Qiche 航空邮票—公路汽车, designed by Shao Bolin 邵柏林, sculpture version 雕 刻版, 1957, 9. ................................................................................................................................. 64 ix Figure 14: (a) The cover page of Jiyou magazine in October 1958; (b) Renzao Diqiu Weixing 人造地球卫星, designed by Sun Chuanzhe 孙传哲, sculpture version